**Official** CONFUSED ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MD AND DO thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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circulus vitios said:
Is that that new thing called sarcasm? :meanie:

I don't see the appeal of dermatology. Skin diseases don't do it for me, but reconstructive plastic surgery is awesome.
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Appeal (derm): 9-5 job, really good compensation for what you do, no call (for the most part), short/less hellish residency, option to do cosmetic procedures etc. However, I have a feeling derm will get kicked in the pants compensation-wise soon. The insurance companies can't stand to see these damn doctors make money.

PRS: Yes, it's 'awesome.' You will also need to be top in your class, research, ace the boards, rotate with plastics, apply integrated and g-surg (assuming you're MD, as a DO you stand no chance in integrated ACGME), not get into integrated, do 5 years of g-surg, 3 years of PRS fellowship (non AOA is now 3 years, AOA will prob follow suit), then when you're 35 you can finally move to an area, establish a practice, pay the huge mal-practice, take 5 years to build up a name while doing non-cosmetic stuff, etc etc etc. Plastics is a HUGE commitment and chances are most of us here even talking about it won't have the stats to give up 10 years in training. I sleuth the PRS boards and this applicant the other day was talking about how after g-surg, research between residency and fellowship (to land the best fellowship) she would be ten years in post graduate training. Honestly, that's huge. Not to mention how insane and expensive overhead is once you're finally out. You also better get used to non PRS EVERYONE taking your bread and butter ie derms doing less invasive cosmetics, everyone and their mom doing a 'fellowship though the american academcy of cosmetic surgery,' Facial Plastic guys/gals ETC. Honestly I really wanted plastics for a long time until I looked into it a lot and the commitment is so huge, I don't know.
 
JaggerPlate said:
Appeal (derm): 9-5 job, really good compensation for what you do, no call (for the most part), short/less hellish residency, option to do cosmetic procedures etc. However, I have a feeling derm will get kicked in the pants compensation-wise soon. The insurance companies can't stand to see these damn doctors make money.

PRS: Yes, it's 'awesome.' You will also need to be top in your class, research, ace the boards, rotate with plastics, apply integrated and g-surg (assuming you're MD, as a DO you stand no chance in integrated ACGME), not get into integrated, do 5 years of g-surg, 3 years of PRS fellowship (non AOA is now 3 years, AOA will prob follow suit), then when you're 35 you can finally move to an area, establish a practice, pay the huge mal-practice, take 5 years to build up a name while doing non-cosmetic stuff, etc etc etc. Plastics is a HUGE commitment and chances are most of us here even talking about it won't have the stats to give up 10 years in training. I sleuth the PRS boards and this applicant the other day was talking about how after g-surg, research between residency and fellowship (to land the best fellowship) she would be ten years in post graduate training. Honestly, that's huge. Not to mention how insane and expensive overhead is once you're finally out. You also better get used to non PRS EVERYONE taking your bread and butter ie derms doing less invasive cosmetics, everyone and their mom doing a 'fellowship though the american academcy of cosmetic surgery,' Facial Plastic guys/gals ETC. Honestly I really wanted plastics for a long time until I looked into it a lot and the commitment is so huge, I don't know.
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Do orthopods do any reconstructive surgery? I'm getting WAY ahead of myself again, but from my limited experience of watching videos - which is worth absolutely nothing, really - I think reconstructing bones is awesome. Like repairing a guy's face that was smashed off a wall, or repairing an athlete's shattered wrist. I think other reconstructive surgeries in the plastics domain are awesome as well, but fixing up bone structures is the most interesting part for me. Would going into orthopedic surgery (which is still VERY VERY competitive) be a better fit if this is my primary interest? Is there more stability in an orthopedic practice - no stealing procedures like you mentioned? Again, this sounds really, really, really stupid because I'm not even in a medical school yet, but I like playing around with ideas in my head. :idea:
 
circulus vitios said:
Do orthopods do any reconstructive surgery? I'm getting WAY ahead of myself again, but from my limited experience of watching videos - which is worth absolutely nothing, really - I think reconstructing bones is awesome. Like repairing a guy's face that was smashed off a wall, or repairing an athlete's shattered wrist. I think other reconstructive surgeries in the plastics domain are awesome as well, but fixing up bone structures is the most interesting part for me. Would going into orthopedic surgery (which is still VERY VERY competitive) be a better fit if this is my primary interest? Is there more stability in an orthopedic practice - no stealing procedures like you mentioned? Again, this sounds really, really, really stupid because I'm not even in a medical school yet, but I like playing around with ideas in my head. :idea:
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Ortho is less of a private practice, eat what you kill, dr 90201 advertising type of game. Still extremely competitive, and (as for now) quite well compensated. Also be aware that most ortho guys are a 'type a' personality, and if you fit in with this crowd ... you'll probably be happy. Would ortho reconstruct skull fractions, septum, orbit etc fractures like you were talking about ... no. This would be plastic's duty, maybe some ENT and possible Occuloplastic. Would ortho get to do awesome stuff like reconnect a broken leg, put plates down, screws, man **** ... yup. However, be aware of a few things: 1. It's wayyy to early to be worried about this. Should I jump on your case about it? No, because everyone does the same thing and if they say they don't ... they're lying. 2. It's still extremely competitive and from the DO route you would almost certainly complete an AOA ortho residency. Check out http://opportunities.osteopathic.org for all the residency info on ortho, PRS, ENT, etc.
 
I've tried to do research on the net but I am still not sure about how osteopathic schools are different than allopathic schools. I know they focus on a whole body approach to medicine but again that is very general. I've read the term OCM but what is that exactly?

Also would an osteopathic medical doctor have the same opportunities as an allopathic doctor in pediatrics?
 
The reason this is so hard to explain is because there's really nothing to explain. It is pretty much the exact same ****. Very slightly different way of getting to the same place.
 
Unis said:
I've tried to do research on the net but I am still not sure about how osteopathic schools are different than allopathic schools. I know they focus on a whole body approach to medicine but again that is very general. I've read the term OCM but what is that exactly?

Also would an osteopathic medical doctor have the same opportunities as an allopathic doctor in pediatrics?
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Back in the old days, osteopathic medicine was founded on holistic principles and focused on the body's natural, innate ability to heal itself. They used to stay away from medicine and most of the common medical thought of the day. This was back in the early 1900's. It has converged so much with modern medicine, that today it is only a little bit different from going and getting your MD.

The end result is the same for both, and the means only differ slightly. The main difference is the addition of OMM in the curriculum, as well as a different set of Boards (even though the MD boards are still available for you to take) and the option of DO exclusive residencies (but many choose to go to MD residencies).

Ill let someone more experienced with OMM explain it, I haven't gone through it yet.

If you match and train Peds, you will have all the blessings of a pediatric doctor. It shouldn't really limit you in any way. You might just have to explain you degree to more people than an MD would have to.
 
JaggerPlate said:
Ortho is less of a private practice, eat what you kill, dr 90201 advertising type of game. Still extremely competitive, and (as for now) quite well compensated.
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their malpractice is the highest out of all specialties, though...so Ive been told by several doctors. I asked an obgyn how he felt about having such high malpractice (100k+) and he said it sucked, but that the ortho guys were paying tens of thousands more than he was!!!
 
Most people don't care if you're a DO or MD. They just want a good, competent PHYSICIAN. You'll be fine no matter what letters are after your name. It's mostly pre-meds that care.
 
Pediatrics is not a competitive field of medicine. Becoming an osteopathic physician will not limit your abilities to be a pediatrician.
 
circulus vitios said:
And how difficult is matching into other 'high end' residencies (such as radiology, anesthesiology, orthopedic surgery, etc) as a D.O., whether they're AOA or ACGME residencies?

Would I be better off trying to get into an allopathic school if I want to match into these more competitive residencies, or will it not make a huge difference? I'm afraid of finally getting into a medical school, doing well, and not matching into the specialty I want. :scared:
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Look at some DO match lists and you will see them amply peppered with radiology and anesthesia matches, many to ACGME programs. Ortho ACGME... not so much.

For whatever reason, ACGME surgical subspecialties are generally pretty hard to match into as a DO.

clownDOctor said:
NO! Being a DO will in NO WAY limit you. It is possible that certain ACGME plastics programs will be a bit harder to get into just because of the slight stigma that is still attached to the DO degree. However, for the most part, as long as you are a good student and you are dedicated to what you want to do, you will have no more trouble getting into the program you want as a DO than you would if you went to an MD school.
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I may have to beg to differ here. I am not saying it is right, but there is a pretty big stigma out there.

For instance, at my school we have 0 DO surgical residents which includes probably 150 surgical/surgical subspecialty and OB-GYN residents. Most other departments have a few DOs in them so it's not an institutional bias.



DoktorB said:
their malpractice is the highest out of all specialties, though...so Ive been told by several doctors. I asked an obgyn how he felt about having such high malpractice (100k+) and he said it sucked, but that the ortho guys were paying tens of thousands more than he was!!!
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Ortho is still raking in plenty of money.
 
clownDOctor said:
NO! Being a DO will in NO WAY limit you. It is possible that certain ACGME plastics programs will be a bit harder to get into just because of the slight stigma that is still attached to the DO degree. However, for the most part, as long as you are a good student and you are dedicated to what you want to do, you will have no more trouble getting into the program you want as a DO than you would if you went to an MD school.
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Don't give ridiculous advice like this. Go look at NRMP match statistics for the past couple years. Then, if you still wanna spew BS outta your mouth, let me know.

To tell someone that no, "Being a DO will in NO WAY limit you," is false. You owe it to the people younger than you to tell them like it is.
 
DoktorB said:
their malpractice is the highest out of all specialties, though...so Ive been told by several doctors. I asked an obgyn how he felt about having such high malpractice (100k+) and he said it sucked, but that the ortho guys were paying tens of thousands more than he was!!!
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1. Orthos make more than OBs so who gives a **** if they have to pay more in malpractice?

2. Go talk to a neurosurgeon and ask them how much they pay in malpractice.
 
Thank you all for your input. Can someone go into more detail about OMM (OCM?)? What exactly is that?

Pediatrics is not competitive even depending on the area of specialty (pediatric endocrinology, ped. oncology, etc.)?
 
From what I've seen of OMM in shadowing a DO, it appears to be something like a cross between chiropractic treatment and massage therapy.

The big difference (from what I've read) between chiropractic care and OMM is that in OMM you don't move any body parts past the physiologic range, whereas chiropractors do.
 
Instatewaiter said:
Look at some DO match lists and you will see them amply peppered with radiology and anesthesia matches, many to ACGME programs. Ortho ACGME... not so much.

For whatever reason, ACGME surgical subspecialties are generally pretty hard to match into as a DO.



I may have to beg to differ here. I am not saying it is right, but there is a pretty big stigma out there.

For instance, at my school we have 0 DO surgical residents which includes probably 150 surgical/surgical subspecialty and OB-GYN residents. Most other departments have a few DOs in them so it's not an institutional bias.





Ortho is still raking in plenty of money.
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Agree with everything you and Buckeye said.
 
circulus vitios said:
I'm a sophomore in college right now so this sounds incredibly stupid, but I've been thinking about which specialty I'd like to do. I know it's a long way off and that I still have to actually get into a school to even begin thinking about it, but it's still fun to think about all of the specialties and what they do. :laugh:

So...as 'idealistic' as this is, plastic surgery sounds really awesome. Of course, plastics is one of the most - if not the most - competitive residencies around. So if I pretended I was an osteopathic student at a school like PCOM or LECOM, would having a D.O. in any way limit my chances at a plastic surgery residency? I know that plastic surgery is for the absolute cream of the crop M.D. students, but how much more difficult would it be for a D.O. student to match into an a plastics residencies? And I've heard there are only a couple AOA plastics programs, so how much harder would it be to match into an ACGME plastics program? Does the AOA have any non-integrated plastics residencies, like 3 years gsurg -> 3 years plastics?

And how difficult is matching into other 'high end' residencies (such as radiology, anesthesiology, orthopedic surgery, etc) as a D.O., whether they're AOA or ACGME residencies?

Would I be better off trying to get into an allopathic school if I want to match into these more competitive residencies, or will it not make a huge difference? I'm afraid of finally getting into a medical school, doing well, and not matching into the specialty I want. :scared:
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Currently, there are 6 DO plastic fellowships, and all of them are very coveted positions and highly competitive. In allo-world there are more (go the acgme website to see them). Still ridiculously competitive. As a DO, you will be limited by NUMBERS. Can you match into an ACGME "straight-to-plastics" residency as a DO? No. (Anything is possible, but not gonna happen). There are plenty of DO gen surg spots availalbe, and plenty of ACGME gen surg spots available. Plastics is a LONG road, and I really don't think most premeds actually know how long it takes to get there. To answer your question "Will DO hurt me?"......regarding numbers, yes. Just for being a DO, no.
 
clownDOctor said:
NO! Being a DO will in NO WAY limit you. It is possible that certain ACGME plastics programs will be a bit harder to get into just because of the slight stigma that is still attached to the DO degree. However, for the most part, as long as you are a good student and you are dedicated to what you want to do, you will have no more trouble getting into the program you want as a DO than you would if you went to an MD school.
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Keep riding your pink unicorn buddy. It'll be alright, I promise. Seriously I almost choked eating a snack when I read this, don't quite know what to make of that comment.

To the OP: Why are you setting yourself back before you even apply to med school and stuff? Why are you so sure you won't be attending allopathic school...are you bent on only applying DO? If your stats are near the average at least there's no reason not to go MD if you really think you may want to pursue a competitive specialty. It would certainly make your life much easier.
 
Unis said:
Thank you all for your input. Can someone go into more detail about OMM (OCM?)? What exactly is that?

Pediatrics is not competitive even depending on the area of specialty (pediatric endocrinology, ped. oncology, etc.)?
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It's basically glorified physical therapy, with a sprinkle of some simple "cracking" manipulation. NOT a chiropractor.
 
Hurricane95 said:
Keep riding your pink unicorn buddy. It'll be alright, I promise. Seriously I almost choked eating a snack when I read this, don't quite know what to make of that comment.

To the OP: Why are you setting yourself back before you even apply to med school and stuff? Why are you so sure you won't be attending allopathic school...are you bent on only applying DO? If your stats are near the average at least there's no reason not to go MD if you really think you may want to pursue a competitive specialty. It would certainly make your life much easier.
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setting himself back? i hope you are only referring to those top tier specialties when you say this. otherwise i don't quite know what to make of your comment..

How would it make his life easier? He would be put into a program where there are students with higher aptitude around him, competing for the same spots, in a just as hard if not harder curriculum. Im not sure the word 'easier' is what you were looking for. I think you may mean that it would 'raise the ceiling' as far as what MD residencies would consider him for a spot in one of those specialties. Granted he maintains rockstar status all through med-school => no walk in the park for anyone.

On another note, this topic is argued every few days. People should do a search. Plus, only very few of the people that want to go into these specialties actually will, so unless you are 100% dead certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that you want to do it, DO will not limit you in finding a niche somewhere down the line. You may not get the crem de la crem super fancy warm fuzzy residency, but who cares? You'll get trained. Everyone has to cross their fingers, pray, suck it up, and deal with refection in their life. If you really want integrated plastics, derm, or [insert fancy schmansy super cut-throat competitive specialty here], I recommend going for an MD. If you don't make it in, bummer, you can still get there as a DO since they have reserved spots in osteopathic residencies. Worry about GETTING IN before you compare the two. If you have the choice, make it. If you don't.....what is the use in arguing about it!!!!!!!

[end rant]
 
Hurricane95 said:
To the OP: Why are you setting yourself back before you even apply to med school and stuff? Why are you so sure you won't be attending allopathic school...are you bent on only applying DO? If your stats are near the average at least there's no reason not to go MD if you really think you may want to pursue a competitive specialty. It would certainly make your life much easier.
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I have the worst luck of anyone. Nothing I have ever done has gone smoothly. I would prefer an allopathic school over an osteopathic one because it seems that while having a D.O. won't hurt me, I'll have a harder time because there are less AOA plastics slots per student than there are ACGME plastics slots per student. I'll still try to get into an allopathic school, but if my stats aren't high enough I just wanted to know if I stand a chance at ever being able to do plastics with a D.O. degree.
 
I guess I'll be the resident d*ck today and tell you that most people who want these uber-competitive residencies are not going to get them, whether they are pursing an MD or a DO. You have to have your **** together to match into these specialties. And guess what? In your medical school class, if you make it to medical school, 100% of your classmates are going to be extremely capable, and one half of them are going to be in the bottom of half of your class. Some will go from being the top of their class in pre-med to the very bottom of their medical school class. Some might even fail out or be on the five year plan. Yeah.

There are exceptions, of course, but if you are already struggling, what makes you think you are going to be able to match into an uber-competitive slot? If you want to be that guy/gal, you better work your freaking tail off and keep doing that because you have your work cut out for you. I'm sorry to be so negative, but it's starting to bother me a little seeing all these posts from pre-meds wanting to match into something super-competitive and haven't even gotten into medical school yet. Worry about that a bit later. Get into medical school first and be real.

Sorry, I'm a bit cranky today. I've been up for days and I have finals all week. Just trying to make it through this year. 🙄
 
circulus vitios said:
I have the worst luck of anyone. Nothing I have ever done has gone smoothly. I would prefer an allopathic school over an osteopathic one
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+pity+

Every emo kid who dresses in tight pink pants, spikes their 12 inch hair down sideways in a rosie odonnel-esque manner, and listens to simple plan while laying on the street outside of starbucks feels your pain.
 
Yes. It will. Will it prevent you? No. Do plenty of DO students do it? Yes. Most people who want to be a neurosurgeon will not match neurosurgery. DO or MD. However, you would likely need to be better in some way than a MD student to get the same position. In terms of how much, that depends on the program and the specialty. Surgery is often seen as very conservative, and more than things like FM, IM, or even things like Anesthesia, program directors tend to stick to the old style, that includes DOs, IMGs, and actually in many cases, even women applying to be surgeons. That's just something you have to put up with and overcome.

It will not prevent those ambitions - will it limit them? Possibly.
 
spicedmanna said:
There are exceptions, of course, but if you are already struggling, what makes you think you are going to be able to match into an uber-competitive slot? If you want to be that guy/gal, you better work your freaking tail off and keep doing that because you have your work cut out for you. I'm sorry to be so negative, but it's starting to bother me a little seeing all these posts from pre-meds wanting to match into something super-competitive and haven't even gotten into medical school yet. Worry about that a bit later. Get into medical school first and be real.
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I guess so. I've been doing well in college thus far, so I think I can reach the average GPA and MCAT scores for both allopathic and osteopathic schools. But I have HORRIBLE luck, so actually getting in to a school - and not just meeting the median gpa/mcat scores - will be the challenge. The whole point of my thread was to see where my options lie with allopathic vs osteopathic schools and possible residency plans, assuming I do well in medical school...which is a completely different matter. Oh well, only time will tell I suppose. :laugh:😳
 
circulus vitios said:
I guess so. I've been doing well in college thus far, so I think I can reach the average GPA and MCAT scores for both allopathic and osteopathic schools. But I have HORRIBLE luck, so actually getting in to a school - and not just meeting the median gpa/mcat scores - will be the challenge. The whole point of my thread was to see where my options lie with allopathic vs osteopathic schools and possible residency plans, assuming I do well in medical school...which is a completely different matter. Oh well, only time will tell I suppose. :laugh:😳
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Ok I dont mean to sound uber spacy, but the whole reason you have bad luck is because you believe you always have bad luck! Start thinking positive! Even if you dont believe me, its worth a shot!
If you're truely intersted in plastics, start shadowing that specialty right now! Search long and hard to see if you can find one that's a D.O. and find out what they did. Start contacting some med schools near your area (MD or DO) to talk with 3rd and 4th years about their residency applications and if they know anyone who got accepted to a super competitive residence and find out what they did to set themselves apart.
You could look into becoming a certified CNA/medical assistant and get a job in a plastics practice.
In my opinion, if I was in charge of hiring residents, I would take preference over who had done clinical rotations in plastics and similar specialties and who had good letters of rec from these rotations. Also your board score is VERY important. I'd rather pick someone who aced their COMLEX 1 and 2 over someone who did pretty well on the USMLE 1 and 2. I truely believe you should pick a school based on how well you succeed there. It is better to be in the top of your class at a DO school and be very involved in extracurriculars there than to be average at an MD school (unless of course you're talking about Harvard or Hopkins or some other top school). I hope my humble opinion is helpful to you and best of luck in your undergrad. Remember to have lots of fun :laugh: in your undergrad b/c soon you'll have to be a grown-up 🙁
 
spicedmanna said:
I guess I'll be the resident d*ck today and tell you that most people who want these uber-competitive residencies are not going to get them, whether they are pursing an MD or a DO. You have to have your **** together to match into these specialties. And guess what? In your medical school class, if you make it to medical school, 100% of your classmates are going to be extremely capable, and one half of them are going to be in the bottom of half of your class. Some will go from being the top of their class in pre-med to the very bottom of their medical school class. Some might even fail out or be on the five year plan. Yeah.

There are exceptions, of course, but if you are already struggling, what makes you think you are going to be able to match into an uber-competitive slot? If you want to be that guy/gal, you better work your freaking tail off and keep doing that because you have your work cut out for you. I'm sorry to be so negative, but it's starting to bother me a little seeing all these posts from pre-meds wanting to match into something super-competitive and haven't even gotten into medical school yet. Worry about that a bit later. Get into medical school first and be real.

Sorry, I'm a bit cranky today. I've been up for days and I have finals all week. Just trying to make it through this year. 🙄
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Sorry if this is off topic, but is being on a five year plan bad? I'll be a dual M.A./D.O. student at MSU, and I was planning on doing the extended plan.
 
engineeredout said:
+pity+

Every emo kid who dresses in tight pink pants, spikes their 12 inch hair down sideways in a rosie odonnel-esque manner, and listens to simple plan while laying on the street outside of starbucks feels your pain.
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Emo kids wear pink now?
 
jason3278 said:
Sorry if this is off topic, but is being on a five year plan bad? I'll be a dual M.A./D.O. student at MSU, and I was planning on doing the extended plan.
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I don't think so. Not that I am aware of, anyway. I meant it more tongue-in-cheek, referring to the specific situation where folks fail first year and have to repeat it, resulting in a 5 year graduation, instead of the normal 4, or where their progress is otherwise decelerated due to academic problems. It does happen.
 
engineeredout said:
+pity+

Every emo kid who dresses in tight pink pants, spikes their 12 inch hair down sideways in a rosie odonnel-esque manner, and listens to simple plan while laying on the street outside of starbucks feels your pain.
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I don't get it.
 
TexasTriathlete said:
When people ask **** like this, I don't even think they know what they're asking.

You are talking about programs where you can do everything right, get great board scores, great letters, great rotation evals, strong published research in the desired field, and good connections at the program, and you still won't land the spot. There are a **** ton of great applicants to these programs every year, and they're only going to take so many.

On top of that, there are like 5x as many MD grads as DO grads, and a lot of people who go to DO schools are interested in primary care, and have no interest in jumping through the hoops necessary to even think about going after a categorical surgery spot at f-ing Harvard. Some of the very top students in my class, I **** you not, want to go into primary care.

This is like asking if being a DO will keep me from being the next dictator of Mexico. No, probably not, but I still don't need a magic 8-ball to predict how that's going to turn out either.[/quote]




Wow...I'm not sure what thread your even replying to here but you jumped completely off-topic. I enjoyed the response though. I said nothing about comparing the percentage of osteopathic to allopathic graduates who get competitive residencies. Im pretty sure I said that the candidates were exactly equal in all stats and LOR's...and asked if the MD would get chosen over the DO.

Thanks for those who actually did answer the question
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On topic: Seriously, you need to think positively and make things happen for yourself. Luck only exists in the casino when you have no control over the dice. Everywhere else in life, its called a self-fulfilling prophecy. Read up on it, its the real deal.
 
This is the only surgery we can do as DO's:

ACAKYA.jpg
 
binko said:
From what I've seen of OMM in shadowing a DO, it appears to be something like a cross between chiropractic treatment and massage therapy.

The big difference (from what I've read) between chiropractic care and OMM is that in OMM you don't move any body parts past the physiologic range, whereas chiropractors do.
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This is approximately true, although chiropractors have a rather elaborate (and questionable) set of philosophies that ARE NOT shared by osteopathic physicians. For instance, you won't hear DOs talking about subluxations (at least not subluxations in the chiropractic sense).
 
ROFL bad luck. Yeah, I know some people who dropped out of pre-med with 'bad luck' too. It sucked, they wouldn't study or try hard or put forth the effort and then, just because GOD was trying to screw them ... they'd fail. This thread is ****ing stupid. I think we all agree that arguing about this for the sake of a pre-med dead set on plastics is pointless and I think we all agree that for certain top tier, highly competitive ACGME specialties ... DOs suffer. Close.
 
LateBl00meR said:
TexasTriathlete said:
When people ask **** like this, I don't even think they know what they're asking.

You are talking about programs where you can do everything right, get great board scores, great letters, great rotation evals, strong published research in the desired field, and good connections at the program, and you still won't land the spot. There are a **** ton of great applicants to these programs every year, and they're only going to take so many.

On top of that, there are like 5x as many MD grads as DO grads, and a lot of people who go to DO schools are interested in primary care, and have no interest in jumping through the hoops necessary to even think about going after a categorical surgery spot at f-ing Harvard. Some of the very top students in my class, I **** you not, want to go into primary care.

This is like asking if being a DO will keep me from being the next dictator of Mexico. No, probably not, but I still don't need a magic 8-ball to predict how that's going to turn out either.[/quote]




Wow...I'm not sure what thread your even replying to here but you jumped completely off-topic. I enjoyed the response though. I said nothing about how comparing the percentage of osteopathic to allopathic graduates who get competitive residencies. Im pretty sure I said that the candidates were exactly equal in all stats and LOR's...and asked if the MD would get chosen over the DO.

Thanks for those who actually did answer the question
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How is bringing up Tex's campaign for dictator of Mexico off topic??
Click to expand...
 
I had bad luck early on too. It was mostly caused by my own lack of study skills and ability to cope with a heavier work load. I was emotionally wrecked before each time I took an MCAT due to someone very close dying each time (Best friend and gma who I spent the last 3 weeks by her side). Guess what, those still aren't the reasons I cite. You just try to get into both schools and see what happens. I'm not honestly worried about specialities. Just apply to both and see what friggin happens. Don't treat the DO degree like a backup though. That is a pet peeve for a lot of people.
 
You're splitting hairs. Not only did I answer your question thoroughly, but I explained why.

A better question would have been "how often do DO's apply to prestigious residency programs like Harvard?"

And an even better question would have been "what makes a residency program prestigious?"

And perhaps an even better question might have been "what makes a residency program desirable?"

The possibility exists that the last two questions will not have the same answers, and a lot of that will depend on the needs and goals of each applicant.

You also are assuming that programs "like Harvard" offer the very best training in any given field. This may or may not be true.

How about this: your goal is to become an EM doc, not be heavily involved in research, and not do a lot of teaching... Is there a big difference in training, for your goal, between doing your residency through Columbia University and doing it at Lehigh Valley Medical Center?
 
I did a search and I just read "do a search" and just long winded debates on the subject.

Just a simple question - can DO do the same jobs as an MD? Can DOs become plastic surgeons? Neurologist? Neurosurgeon?
 
loren646 said:
I did a search and I just read "do a search" and just long winded debates on the subject.

Just a simple question - can DO do the same jobs as an MD? Can DOs become plastic surgeons? Neurologist? Neurosurgeon?
Click to expand...

Yes👍
 
loren646 said:
I did a search and I just read "do a search" and just long winded debates on the subject.

Just a simple question - can DO do the same jobs as an MD? Can DOs become plastic surgeons? Neurologist? Neurosurgeon?
Click to expand...

Yes. DOs can practice in any specialty of medicine. Go to www.osteopathic.org for more information about osteopathic medicine.
 
loren646 said:
I did a search and I just read "do a search" and just long winded debates on the subject.

Just a simple question - can DO do the same jobs as an MD? Can DOs become plastic surgeons? Neurologist? Neurosurgeon?
Click to expand...

That's weird, because the answer is unequivocally, yes, to all of your questions. There's nothing to debate.
 
TexasTriathlete said:
You're splitting hairs. Not only did I answer your question thoroughly, but I explained why.


How about this: your goal is to become an EM doc, not be heavily involved in research, and not do a lot of teaching... Is there a big difference in training, for your goal, between doing your residency through Columbia University and doing it at Lehigh Valley Medical Center?
Click to expand...


Again, no idea why you're trying to make analogies that are nowhere near the question. If I wanted to know the answer to the other questions you've proposed then I would have asked them. Also, I said nothing about the prestige of the residency, just the school itself. I'm fully aware that the most coveted neurosurgery and EM residency may not fall under the same roof.
 
Just because the residency program is at Harvard does not mean it is a good residency program. Some big name medical schools have some relatively low-grade residencies, it just depends on the school's individual strengths and weaknesses. I'm sure there have been DOs in some of their programs.
 
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